-------- Original Message --------
Subject:        Re: GIS data search tools: how do you handle keywords? Was:
MAPS-L Digest - 29 May 2010 to 1 Jun 2010 (#2010-116)
Date:   Wed, 02 Jun 2010 06:27:43 -0700
From:   Virginia R. Hetrick, Ph.D. <[log in to unmask]>
Reply-To:       [log in to unmask]
To:     [log in to unmask]



Hi, NCSU folks and others interested in metadata of all sorts -

This is a notion that may get you into more than you really want to do,
but it seems to me that the time has come for people to start thinking
about incorporating maps into the semantic web and organizing metadata
so that the metadata works in the same kind of interactive environment.
Particularly because the development of terminology over time has led to
complexities that could be greatly reduced by using the semantics
properly, it seems like a cooperative effort in this respect might be a
useful way to do things.

The decision to go this direction is probably too much for a single
institution, regardless of how well-funded, to undertake.  But,
historically, many institutions have collaborated to accomplish many
kinds of research, and I don't see a cartographic/geographic semantic
web as different from any other collaboration.  Additionally, it seems
to me that involving some corporate partners in such an effort could be
a big plus.

By now, enough has happened in the semantic web for people of our
interests to begin considering this kind of effort.  If you'd like to
find out about the semantic web, I'd suggest the following three
organizations as sources of information, though none are specifically
about cartography/geography.

1.  w3c.org:  http://www.w3.org/2001/sw  (the source, but somewhat hairy!)
2.  wikipedia.org  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantic_Web
(reasonable explanation of what it is)
3.  National Cancer Institute caBIG project  http://cabig.nci.nih.gov (a
project started a few years ago to re-form and reform the ways cancer
research happens; disclaimer:  I've been involved with this as a patient
advocate since 2006)

v

--
Virginia R. Hetrick, here in sunny California
Email:  [log in to unmask]
"There is always hope."
My fave:  http://www.washington.edu/cambots/camera1_l.gif
There's no place like:  34N 8' 25.40", 117W 58'5.36"
if you can't be at:  48N 6' 59.9" 122W 59' 54.2"